Princesses, Fanny Packs, and the Almighty Dollar
by SC Mom
Summary: When Bella, Rosalie, and Alice decide to spend their summer as interns at Disney World they meet Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, one of whom assumes a very interesting alter ego. Hilarity and naughtiness ensue in the land of the mouse. Rating for future.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Alice, you have GOT to be kidding me."

"No way, Alice. No. Way."

"Oh, come on Bella, come on Rosalie. It's the most magical place on earth. It would be just like spending our entire summer getting _paid _to be on vacation!"

Alice was pleading now, holding her tiny hands clasped together in front of her tiny body. She was bobbing up and down with a look of urgency on her face. Everything was urgent to Alice. Nothing was ever trivial or insignificant. She was a force of nature.

Alice had been trying to convince Rosalie and I to spend our break from college as participants of Walt Disney World's summer internship program. This had been going on for weeks. The three of us: Alice, Rosalie, and myself, lived together in an off campus apartment. Every morning for the past week we had awoken in the morning to such Disney classics as "When You Wish Upon a Star" or "It's a Small World" blaring from our iPod speakers, and fliers describing Disney's summer internship program taped to the orange juice cartons in the fridge. Force. Of. Nature.

Alice really was born to work at Disney. Everything about her screamed fairy tale - from her pixie frame to her squeaky soprano voice to the way she approached everything in life with manic childlike glee.

"They even call their employees 'cast members.' Isn't that the cutest thing?" She had asked one morning at breakfast, as she sat, reading the flyer for the thousandth time.

Rosalie and I were not convinced, but Alice would not relent. She knew she would get her way in the end, she always did, but she wasn't getting her way this time without a lot of convincing.

Rosalie and I muttered things about spending our summer emptying trashcans and sweeping up litter, all while enduring the shrieks and whines of sticky children and their obnoxious parents. Alice had called us "unbearably grown up" and "impossibly stubborn."

I wasn't quite ready to admit it yet, but I was starting to crack. The idea of a summer spent three thousand miles from home sounded pretty appealing: no one bugging me about career decisions or questioning my choice of major.

"English majors are a dime a dozen," my father was fond of saying. "Just what exactly are you planning on doing with it?"

"I want to be a writer, Dad" I had told him. I was tired of having this same conversation.

"You don't go to college to learn to be a writer, Bells. You go to college to learn a skill to pay the bills, to become a contributing member of society."

Ugh. Florida was sounding better and better. Maybe my dad would settle for my spending a summer learning the skills necessary for a career as a theme park employee, or "cast member" as Alice called them. I laughed out loud and raised my hands in mock surrender.

"Okay Alice. You win. You already knew you would. I will accompany you on your cross country odyssey to the land of princesses, fanny packs, and the almighty dollar."

"Oh Bella, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alice threw herself at me and tried to hug me while jumping up and down like a 4 year old.

"Traitor," Rosalie hissed. "I should have known you would cave."

I stuck my tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes. Alice thought for a moment and her eyes took on a devious shine. Uh Oh.

"You know….." she said, glancing out the window distractedly. "….speaking of _princesses_….they're always looking for cast members to fill those roles." She turned to me and gave me a wink, then she turned to look at Rosalie.

"You know, Rose, you would make a _perfect _Cinderella…." Alice trailed off and we both stared at Rosalie, who had raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Alice had appealed to Rosalie's vanity, and I noticed that she was looking smug, all ready to declare victory. I had to admit, Rosalie _would_ make the perfect Cinderella. Her long, golden hair, sparkly blue eyes, and full pink lips made her easily the prettiest girl I had ever known, and Rosalie enjoyed being pretty. She loved the attention that was lavished on her everywhere she went, and I was sure she was imagining the kind of adoring attention she would receive as Cinderella. She looked up at Alice and nodded once, bracing for impact as Alice squealed and dragged us both to the ground in a most enthusiastic and bruise-inducing hug. Her excitement was contagious, however, and we found ourselves sprawled across the kitchen laughing and squealing and planning our adventure.

Three weeks later found us gathered around the kitchen table, drinking margaritas and staring at three large white envelopes lying in front of us. These envelopes all bore the tell-tale mouse ear logo, and contained our job assignments for the next ten weeks. We had agreed to open them together, and to say that we were a little nervous would be a huge understatement.

"Well, should we eat first?" Alice asked, chipper as always. We all glanced at one another and nodded, warily.

"Sure," I muttered. "I can wait a bit longer to find out that I'm going to spend the summer scraping gum off of the line rails." I pulled a slice of pizza from the box and placed it on the plate in front of me. I chanced a quick glance at Alice, biting the insides of my cheeks to keep from laughing. Her arm was already raised, and I braced myself as her hand made contact with my arm.

"Ow," I complained, pushing her away. "I was _kidding_, Alice!" I rubbed my arm dramatically. "You know I love _any_ job that involves dry, sticky bubblegum and shiny metal poles. Fingers crossed right?" She threw a bread stick at me as I flashed her a cheesy grin and crossed the index and middle fingers of both hands and held them out in front of me.

"Funny, Bella." Alice muttered, scowling and picking at the crust of her pizza.

According to the fliers we had read about the program, their were literally hundreds of different options for employment at Disney World. These options ranged from animation assistants to retail works to janitorial staff. The application had contained a small section for listing preferences, as well as prior experience or relevant training. Rose, in her quest to become Cinderella, had attached a thousand word essay and included five head-shots.

"Come on girls," Alice whined. "I can't wait anymore." She picked up her own envelope and motioned for us to the same. Rosalie and I followed suit, poised with our fingers by the seals.

"Okay, 1....2....3....open" Alice tore open her envelope and started scanning its contents. I got my letter open and pulled out the thick stack of papers. The first was a letter congratulating me on my acceptance into the program. Who do they think they're kidding, I thought to myself. I should be sending them a letter congratulating them for finding an ingenious way to obtain cheap, "peak season," labor. The second page was a list of frequently asked questions, then a thick handbook, and finally a paper labeled "Your Cast Member Assignment." I looked down to read the highlighted words at the center of the page...Just then Alice shrieked.

"Bella, Rosalie, I can't believe it!" She was grinning from ear to ear. "I'm the greeter! Can you believe it?"

"Like at Walmart?" Rosalie smirked.

"No, silly," Alice scoffed. She straightened up in the chair and smoothed her short black hair. "I," she began dramatically, placing a hand on her chest, "am the first and last person that visitors to the Magic Kingdom will see. I get to help spread the magic."

Rose snorted. "Alice you are going to spend the entire summer waving and saying, 'Welcome to the Magic Kingdom' and Good-bye, hope you had a magical visit.'"

Alice ignored her and turned to me. "So, Bella, what did you get," she asked urgently. I read the words again, with some degree of uncertainty.

"I got....," I began, looking up at them hesitantly. "....costume assistant." I had no experience with theater or costuming, and Alice would be quick to mention my almost total lack of fashion sense, so I couldn't understand why they would feel I was qualified for such work. Still, it sure beat scraping gum off of things and emptying trash cans. I smiled and nodded contentedly.

"I'll take it. So, Rose what did you get," I asked.

Rose was staring down at her paper, and she wasn't smiling. She shook her head, silently fuming.

"I got....ride maintenance," she spat out. Uh oh, I thought. No satin dresses and sparkly tiaras?

"I don't understand it," Rose continued. She was still shaking her head, looking genuinely perplexed, like the thought of her fulfilling any role other than that of fairy tale royalty was just totally baffling.

"I don't know, Rose," I said, shaking my head. "I guess they just didn't like your essay..." I trailed off, looking down at my plate and trying to fight back the giggles that threatened to erupt any moment. I peeked up through the hair that had fallen across my face. At first, Rosalie looked like she could strangle me on the spot, but then she cracked a gorgeous smile and the three of us were overcome with a fit of giggles. We raised our glasses and toasted to what was shaping up to be a very amusing summer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The clock read 5:04 AM, and it was still dark out – dark and raining and freezing cold as Alice Rosalie, and I drove to the airport searching for the plane that would whisk us away to sunny Florida. I sat up front with Alice, who was driving of course, and Rosalie was sprawled out in the backseat, sulking about being awake at such an "ungodly hour."

"Um...Alice," she called from the backseat. "I still don't understand why we can't stop for coffee." Rosalie turned to me and continued. "I also don't understand how she could possibly be this chipper. Please explain to me how someone can organize a "Bon Voyage Alice, Rosalie and Bella Party," attend said party, drink her weight in cosmos, fall into bed at 2:00AM, and wake up at 4:30 AM, like THAT," she waved her hand in Alice's direction. "It's inhuman. It's not normal. It's.....," she paused and then shook her head and groaned, "......annoying."

"I love you too, Rose," Alice sang from the front seat. "And we can get coffee at the airport. You know I don't allow food or beverages in my car. Besides, who needs caffeine?" My and Rosalie's hands shot up as Alice continued, rolling her eyes. "We're embarking on a grand adventure. Aren't you excited?"

"Alice," Rosalie sighed. "We are not climbing Everest, we're going to work at a theme park..."

"No just any theme park, smarty," Alice interrupted. "Have you ever even been there?"

"Sure, my Mom took us to Disneyland one summer when I was a kid."

"Not the same thing Rose," Alice shot back seriously. "Disney World makes Disneyland look like a county fair, you'll see. What about you, Bella? Ever been to Disney World?"

"Alice, I've never been anywhere, you know that," I sighed. Family vacations hadn't figured very prominently into my childhood. I had spent most of my time taking care of my rather immature and flighty mother. After all, someone had to make sure the bills got paid, and there was food in the fridge. As an only child, that responsibility had fallen squarely on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and half-listened to the arguing voices of my friends. I must have dozed off, because I woke to Alice shaking me and calling, "Hey Bella, wake up please. Come on guys, sunny Florida here we come!"

An hour later we boarded the plane and found our seats. We were all together in a row of three seats on the right side of the plane. Alice sat by the window, and I positioned myself in the middle, as sort of a demilitarized zone between her and an annoyed and very hung over Rose. We had a direct flight and it would take us seven hours to reach our destination, so I stretched and tried to get comfortable as the stewardesses explained the safety procedures. I had spent a great deal of time in airplanes, so I knew the spiel by heart, and concentrated instead on my iPod as I searched for a song to help drown out our takeoff.

As the plane taxied down the runway I made my selection and turned to look at my friends. Rosalie shook her head and laughed.

"Bye Bye Bella," she said, flipping through a gossip magazine.

"It'll be fine, Bella," Alice whispered, squeezing my hand reassuringly. I nodded halfheartedly, turning the volume all the way up and closing my eyes as the wheels began to leave the tarmac.

I HATE takeoffs. I know I said that I've flown many times, and I have, but I will never get used to this part. Climbing thousands of feet in the air terrifies me and the sudden change in altitude makes me feel like my head is going to explode. My fingers gripped the armrests, and I felt Alice's hand patting mine. The pressure in my head kept on building and I swallowed furiously, trying to pop my ears that now felt like they were filled up with helium. I felt my pulse racing and my breath was coming in erratic pants. All the while Alice was patting my hand, trying to comfort me as we climbed higher and higher into the sky. When I reached the halfway point in the song I was listening to I breathed a sigh of relief. Almost over, I thought to myself. Experience had taught me that an average length song was roughly the same duration as the time it took for a plane to reach cruising altitude after leaving the runway. I started to relax, and loosened my death grip on the armrests. Just then, turbulence gave the plan a little shudder, and the death grip was back. The plane ever so slightly began to ease back towards a horizontal position and I peeked at the iPod display. Ten more seconds. I began whispering, "10...9...8...," the final cords of the song pulsed in my ears. "...7...6...5...4...3...." The plane leveled off. "...2...and 1." I opened my eyes just in time to see the seat belt sign flash off. And just like that, I was fine. I pulled the buds from my ears and looked sheepishly from Alice to Rosalie. "Thanks Alice," I said, squeezing her hand before releasing it.

"Freak," Rosalie muttered, a smirk spreading across her face.

Alice pulled a pad of paper and a pen from her bag.

"It's time," she smiled, and her eyes shone mischievously.

I grinned and nodded and we both turned to Rose who was pretending to ignore us. We went on staring until she finally turned toward us and closed the magazine she was reading, holding her place with her finger.

"Okay," she sighed indifferently, "but I get to choose...," she tapped the magazine.

"Deal," Alice and I said, grinning in excitement at the incredibly immature game we were about to play. Alice proceeded to set up the game on the paper. She made two groups of four horizontal lines, one on each side of the page, leaving the center of the page open. She wrote out the numbers 0 though 9 along the bottom of the page, and the letters MASH across the top. Rose was flipping through the magazine with a thoughtful expression.

"Who's first," she asked without looking up. Alice's hand shot up.

"Oh, me, me! I want to go first," she shouted, handing me the pad and the pen. I nodded at her and she squealed.

"Okay, Rose," I said, "Shoot." Rose closed the magazine and looked up.

"Johnny Depp, Will Ferrell, Jack Nicholson, and Matthew McConaughey." She spoke without hesitation. I hurried to write the names on the four lines on the left side of the page.

"Okay," I said, finishing up. "Next."

Rosalie nodded and began her second list. "Housewife, cab driver, NASCAR driver, and teacher."

I wrote these job titles on the four lines on the right side of the page. Alice studied the names and wrinkled her nose. "Which Johnny Depp?" she asked. "Are we talking Captain Jack Sparrow or Willy Wonka?"

My hand shot up. "Stay away from Captain Jack, Alice. He is ALWAYS mine." I eyed her seriously and she burst out laughing.

Rose leaned forward. "Think more along the lines of _21 Jump Street_."

"Nice," Alice whispered. "What about McConaughey? _Dazed and Confused_ or _Fool's Gold_?" She tilted her head contemplatively.

Rosalie sighed. "Alice, you take forever. Hurry up or it's gonna be Johnny Depp from _Willy_ _Wonka_, Matthew McConaughey from _Dazed and Confused_, Jack Nicholson from _The Bucket List_, and Will Ferrell from _Elf_.

I giggled, "_Elf_ is a really funny movie." Alice eyed me incredulously.

"Be serious Bella," she snapped, dramatically closing her eyes. "Okay, I'm ready."

I began drawing a spiral in the center of the page. After a few seconds Alice shouted for me to stop. So loudly, in fact, that several of our fellow passengers turned around to see what was happening. I counted the lines in the spiral I had drawn. There were eight. I started at the top of the page. I touched my pen to the M and counted, one. The A was next, two. Then the S, three, and the H, four. I repeated, starting again with the M for five, and ending on the H for eight. I scratched out the H and repeated the process with the remaining letters until one remained, an H.

"House," I stated as I circled the H on the page.

"I hope it has walk in closets," Rosalie muttered.

I moved on to the names on the left side and counted, scratching off the names until only one remained. "Johnny Depp."

"Nice," said Rose.

"Excellent," Alice purred.

I circled the name and moved on to the other side of the page. More counting, this time from the bottom up, scratching off occupations each time I came to the number eight. "Teacher," I announced.

Alice smiled. She was an education major, after all. Alice was all about kids. She giggled and rubbed her hands together excitedly as I moved to the bottom of the page. I started counting to eight and crossing out a number each time. Finally I was finished. There was only one number left. "Nine," I said grinning. Circling the number and handing the pad to her. "Congratulations. You will marry Johnny Depp from _21 Jump Street_, live in a house, work as a teacher, and have nine kids."

Alice giggled. "Nice fortune, I like that one."

Rose nodded. "Even I would have nine kids if I was married to Johnny Depp. I'd probably never let him out of the bedroom."

"Mmmmm.....," Alice and I agreed.

We played MASH for the next hour, the three of us giggling like school girls. Afterward, I settled in for a nap, visions of my favorite fictional pirate still dancing through my head. I sighed as I imagined staring into those kohl lined eyes, and breathing in his scent that must smell like salt water and rum mixed with spices and sweat. I shifted in my seat as I tried to imagine the feel of rough hands on my face, and sand in my hair. The cool wetness of the waves breaking against my toes, and the beaded black dreadlocks brushing again my cheek as his lips moved towards mine. I really needed to get laid.

"Bella!"

I was jolted from my amazing dream by Alice whispering loudly into my ear. She was gesturing wildly towards the front of the plane. I opened my eyes, disappointed, and annoyed.

"Look, look," Alice said, patting my hand excitedly.

"What, Alice," I grumbled.

"The movie screen, silly. Look what's playing."

I looked. It was _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl_. I sighed happily and pulled on the airline supplied headphones and settled into my seat to enjoy the show.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Wow, that is an intense kind of heat. It's almost like you can _see_ it." Rosalie had her hands out in front of her mime-style poking at the invisible blanket of heat and humidity that was draped all around us. You could literally see the steam coming off of the asphalt as Rosalie and I passed through the airport doors into the central Florida sunshine. My hair immediately began to stick to the back of my neck and I could feel beads of sweat forming there and trickling down between my shoulder blades.

How is it even possible to start sweating this fast?" Rosalie asked, piling her hair on top of her head with one hand while performing some futile attempt at fanning her face with the other. "I may have actually felt a wall of heat as we crossed the threshold..." she stopped talking and looked back towards the automatic doors. Alice was coming towards us, muttering to herself about how her traitor friends had left her all alone in the bathroom without warning.

"I was having a conversation with you Rose," Alice whined. "And when I opened the door to the stall there was no one there but this creepy old woman wearing camouflage pants and a coon skin cap. Who now knows, by the way, exactly how long it's been since I had sex and...." she stopped abruptly. "Holy fuck it's hot," she nearly shouted, and I swear that every male within hearing distance turned to gawk at her. I noticed some of their eyes shift to my right and I turned to see Rosalie dramatically removing her clothing so quickly that I had a fleeting thought that we might just get a police escort to the Disney property. We must have been quite a sight, standing there sweating and frantically fanning ourselves five feet from the automatic doors that emitted freshly conditioned air every few seconds as they opened.

"We're pathetic," I snorted. "We won't last 48 hours."

Alice looked to be on the verge of some full blown emotional meltdown, and I could tell that for all of her careful research and planning, she had failed to consider the drastic shift in climate and the decidedly outdoor nature of her cast member assignment. I took her by the arm and began pulling her toward the line of cabs.

"Come on, Alice," I sighed, throwing my arm around her shoulder. "We've got magic to spread."

She scowled at me. "Fuck the magic Bella. It's too damn hot." And with that she shoved her sunglasses onto her face, threw my arm off of her shoulders and stalked off toward a waiting cab. Rosalie's shoulders were shaking with laughter as she watched Alice walk away.

"This is just too perfect," she choked out. "Five minutes in and the mastermind of this ridiculous escapade is blaspheming the very essence of her job title. Priceless." She staggered toward the cab laughing hysterically and clutching her side. Alice, without turning around, flashed her middle finger and kept on walking.

Later, as we approached the Disney "city limits" we managed to get some of the magic back when we clasped hands as the cab passed under the Disney World arch, taking in the moment with a sort of reverent silence. As we began to see the iconic images of Cinderella's Castle and Epcot's Spaceship Earth peeking through the trees it became difficult to discern who was the most excited. Even Rosalie was entranced by the magical pull of Disney, and as the cab pulled up to the dormitory-style building that would be our home for the next ten weeks, we squealed like little girls. Alice resumed her role as leader, consulting the orientation day schedule as we climbed out of the car.

"Okay girls, we pick up our information packets at the front desk, wait for our bags to be delivered, and then we may have time for a quick swim before we have to be at the general orientation session at 1pm. Let's get going." She hurried ahead of us up the stairs and skipped to the front desk. "Hi," she greeted the incredibly bored looking woman manning the information station. "My name is Alice Cullen, and this is Rosalie Hale and Bella Swan. I believe we are supposed to acquire some sort of information packet here along with our room assignments?" Her voice was prim and formal and Rosalie and I both rolled our eyes at her attempt to sound mature and businesslike. The woman eyed Alice with a look that was at once annoyed and dismissive, and produced three thick packets and three room keys on plastic lanyards. "These are your keys," she said, handing one to each of us. "You three are in room 483. It's right next to the laundry which I suppose could be seen as either a blessing or a curse. Don't lose your key, and bring these packets with you to the general information session after lunch." She looked back down at the book in her lap, as the three of us raced down the hall to the elevator. It was a source of contention that Alice, Rosalie and I all had a proclivity for sleeping next to the window, and this fact always ensured arrival day drama whenever we vacationed together. As the tallest, Rosalie made it to the elevator first with Alice and I scrambling behind. She pushed the "Door Close" button frantically and cackled like a psychopath as the huge metal doors closed in our faces.

Alice stomped her foot in frustration and narrowed her eyes. For half a second I almost thought she had conceded, but I knew her well enough to know that she would never give up this quickly. Force of nature, remember? She scanned the area and suddenly her features softened and she smiled triumphantly. I turned to see a rather unfortunate looking balding, middle aged man pushing a janitor's cart down the hall. Alice sprinted towards him and I watched as she flirted shamelessly, in record time. Five seconds later he was pulling a key out of his pocket, sticking it in the lock on the elevator panel and turning it to the right. We heard a soft metal clank as the elevator halted it's ascent. The man smiled at Alice, who giggled ridiculously and bounced up and down, clapping her hands. She grabbed my hand and took off running for the stairwell. "Thank you sir," she called out. "Just give us about five minutes." She laughed maniacally, and I was really beginning to question the sanity of my two best friends. It was widely known that Rosalie suffered from a nearly debilitating form of claustrophobia. Any building over 10 stories was virtually off limits to her and her embarrassing anxiety over riding in elevators. Alice was hitting below the belt.

"Alice, you are pure evil girlfriend," I panted as I struggled to keep up.

"Please, Bella. She's been asking for it since we left the house this morning. Besides, I intend to sleep well on this trip, and she should know better than to underestimate me." She reached the fourth floor landing and pulled open the door. I had almost given up any hope of beating her, when another door opened in front of her, momentarily blocking her path. She skidded to a stop, and I squealed and swerved past her, stopping at our room and jamming my key into the lock. By the time Alice emerged in the doorway I was jumping on _my_ bed triumphantly. "Karma is a bitch, Alice!" I sang as she grudgingly took the middle bed and looked down at her watch.

"Thirty seconds," she muttered, and I stopped bouncing and lowered myself to the bed. We both turned towards the door expectantly. We heard the "ding" as the elevator doors opened down the hall. "ALICE!" a voice boomed throughout the floor. We heard the muffled click of high heels on the worn carpeting moving swiftly towards us. "Shit," Alice muttered. I got up from the bed to stand in the middle of the room, positioning myself between the two of them. Rosalie appeared in the doorway. Her face was ghostly pale and little beads of sweat stood out on her forehead. There was a faint tremor in her hands and she was breathing shakily. She eyed the two of us, then turned her icy gaze on Alice. I thought she looked oddly calm.

"Alice," she whispered, her voice shaky. "I don't want to waste my opportunity for revenge right now. But rest assured that I will be plotting and planning your take down, and you will not see it coming." She flopped onto the bed closest to the door and covered her face with her pillow. After a few moments we heard muffled laughter. Alice and I looked at one another. Finally Rosalie spoke, her face still covered by the pillow. "Well played, Alice Cullen, well played."

After quick naps and showers to freshen up, we all walked to the boardroom that would serve as our orientation meeting place for the afternoon. Alice had her face buried in the handbook that had come with our information packets, and was effectively missing everything that was going on around her. I scanned our surroundings and discovered, somewhat regrettably, that none of the Disney magic had managed to infiltrate the intern living quarters. Everything was painted a bland shade of neutrality, and an outsider would find no evidence of Disney affiliation whatsoever.

"Wow," I muttered, mostly to myself. "I've renewed my driver's license in places with more personality.

Rosalie smirked, "Well, I don't know about the décor Martha Stewart, but so far I see nothing that makes me lament our apparently same sex living conditions." She scanned the small crowd converging at the entrance to the boardroom, and wrinkled her nose.

Alice and I followed her inside and a short, but heated discussion ensued regarding our seating arrangements. Not surprisingly, the three of us wound up seated front row center when an enthusiastic looking man in his mid thirties took his place behind the podium. Alice was leaning forward in her metal folding chair, her orientation packet resting on her thighs, and a pen in her hand. Rosalie was leaning back in _her_ chair, filing her nails and looking bored. I was rifling through my papers trying to find the page that Alice was looking at. My stomach gurgled nervously and, to me, this felt just like the first day of school. If this guy made us stand up and introduce ourselves, I was sure I would throw up. My nervous stomach rumbled again and Alice shoved her bony little elbow into my ribs and shushed me loudly. I leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry Alice. From now on I will try my best to control the _involuntary_ contractions of my smooth muscles. So sorry to have disturbed your concentration."

Our orientation leader cleared his throat and again I felt Alice's elbow in my side.

"Welcome interns. My name is Greg and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to this exciting program. We have a lot to go over here, and I will try to cover everything as quickly as possible so that you will have time to start getting to know one another." He shuffled the papers he was holding and looked up. "Now, we will be discussing general information about the program today: the rules, dress code, and so forth. Any questions about your individual job assignments can be addressed during tomorrow's small group orientations."

Alice turned the page in her packet and I hurried to do the same, glancing over her shoulder to make sure we were on the same page. I turned to see what Rosalie was doing when my eye caught those of the guy sitting a few seats down our row. He was watching me with an eager expression on his face, and he gave me a small wave and mouthed the word, "Hi." He had light brown hair that he had styled so that it stuck out every which way in some wonky, gelled up version of sex hair. He noticed me staring and gave me a quick wink. I snapped my attention back to the front of the room, not wanting to unwittingly encourage his advances.

"...and so it is very important for you all to be safe. Use the buddy system, especially at night, and all visitors MUST vacate the property by 11:00pm. No. Exceptions." At this, a muffled, grumbling commentary rippled through the room. I continued gazing straight ahead, still feeling Eager Boy's gaze as he tried to get my attention. I began a silent prayer that for both my sake and his, Rosalie did not catch on to his intentions. I looked down at my paper, pretending to very carefully study the list of rules.

"Now, in past years we have had problems with underage drinking and rampant 'hooking up'," he punctuated this statement with air quotes, "among cast members. For that reason, and to avoid turning this program into something akin to spring break in Cancun, we have adopted some rules regarding appropriate behavior. There will be no underage drinking. Anyone under the age of twenty-one who is caught drinking alcoholic beverages will be immediately terminated from the program. Those of you who are over twenty one are allowed only one case of beer in your apartment at a time. Inspections are random and must be submitted to immediately and without question." Another grumble rose from the crowd around me, and I did an inner happy dance, because Alice, Rosalie and I had all celebrated that sacred birthday during the last school year.

"Now," Greg continued, clearing his throat nervously. "Disney frowns on any 'hook ups'," again with the air quotes, "between cast members, and that includes interns. We encourage all of you to spend your time here focused on the internship experience, and to take a ten week hiatus from romantic encounters." More grumbling, this time louder. Greg raised his hand in an effort to quiet the crowd. "Of course, if you find this idea unbearable," he smirked and his voice took on a decidedly patronizing tone, "we ask that you do your hunting off of the Disney property." He lowered his head, and then looked back up somewhat nervously. "If any of you are so inclined, I can recommend a couple of good singles bars....."

At this, Rosalie snorted – loudly, while unapologetically regarding our leader with a mocking smile and a roll of her eyes. Snickers and muffled laughter floated through the aisles. Greg reddened slightly, but quickly recovered his composure. "I urge you to take what I have just told you very seriously," he warned. "Every year we have dismissed interns from this program, and we will not hesitate to do so this year should the need arise. And this may be a good time to point out that in order to receive your college credit, you MUST complete the entire ten week program. No partial credit will be given. It's all or nothing." He placed his hands palms down on the podium and looked down for a moment. When he looked back up, he was smiling. "I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea. We have a lot of fun here. I'm sure you guys wouldn't be here if you didn't love Walt Disney World, and those of you who have never been here will not be disappointed. As interns you have what can be described as an all access pass to the World. With your ID badge you will get admittance to all of the parks, and you may go as often as you like during your free time. You will get up close, behind the scenes, insight into how things are run, including shows, rides, and parades. This is a fantastic place to work and I promise it will feel more like a vacation than a job. We have to establish ground rules to ensure everyone's safety and to protect the integrity of our program. But I encourage you to take advantage of where you are, and I guarantee that this will be one of the greatest experiences of your college careers." His eyes sparkled and he spoke animatedly, moving his hands around as he talked. It was clear that he truly believed everything he was saying. He loved his job, and he knew we would love it here too.

I smiled at his childlike enthusiasm, and thought for a moment that he reminded me of Alice. I turned to look at my tiny friend and saw a tear perched on the outside corner of her eye. She is such a sap, I thought to myself. She really has looked forward to this trip, and I was glad that I had decided to join her. I looped my arm through hers and smiled. I let my mind wander to visions of what may lie in store for us here. I was vaguely aware of the information being relayed. The pool was open until midnight, same for the spa. No skinny dipping. Apparently they had had problems with that in the past as well. I shuddered as I thought about Eager Boy skinny dipping. We were to have a detailed orientation to our specific job locations tomorrow including a tour of the tunnels below the Magic Kingdom. I was actually pretty excited about that part. I started thinking about my cast member assignment. I flipped through my papers until I came to a page about my orientation tomorrow. I was assigned to work as a costume assistant at the Magic Kingdom in Adventureland. I wondered what kind of characters worked in Adventureland. I was more than a little anxious about what my duties would be. I really had no interest in costumes or theater. I could barely dress myself, and if you asked Alice, she would tell you that was debatable. I heard Alice's sharp intake of breath and my thoughts immediately returned to Greg up at the podium. Apparently he was going over the dress code now, and was saying something about minimal jewelry and makeup. Alice had stiffened in her chair and I had a feeling that if there were tears now, they sure as hell weren't tears of joy.

"Girls, your makeup must look natural, especially if you choose to wear eyeliner and shadow. No earrings that extend below the earlobe....," Alice absentmindedly touched her earlobe and her hands lingered there as she processed what Greg was saying. "The point of this dress code is simple. We are not the attractions. Workers at Disney are meant to blend into their surroundings. You shouldn't be noticed. The only workers that should be noticed are the ones playing the characters." Greg looked at Rosalie who had gone back to filing her nails. "Also, a word about fingernails," he continued. "Fingernails should not extend more than a quarter inch from the fingertips." Rosalie slowly lowered her file and glared at him. I could tell I was in for some serious dress code drama when we got back to the room. Greg continued, "Of course, none of this applies to your nights off. Dress code only applies when you are working at your respective stations. Now, if you have any questions, feel free to stay and I will try to answer as many as I can. The rest of you are free for the night. Again, welcome to Disney!" Everyone clapped and 80 percent of the room emptied as everyone hurried to get in some recreation before starting work tomorrow. I was anxious to check out the parks I had never visited as a child. The way Alice talked, my mother should have been brought up on child neglect charges for never bringing me here. My expectations were quite high.

I turned and realized I was alone. I looked back into the room and saw Rosalie pulling Alice towards the door. "Just let it go, Alice," she kept repeating over and over as she forced Alice from the room. "I just wanted to explain one thing to him....." Alice tried to twist out of Rosalie's grip. Rosalie spun her around and continued dragging Alice along behind her. "It won't do any good Alice. That loser doesn't make the rules, he just gets off on standing up on a podium and dashing everyone's hopes for having a good time. We should start placing bets right now on which one of us will get kicked out of here first." We had reached the elevator and I reached up and pushed the button for level 4. The doors closed, and Rosalie closed her eyes and tried to breath slowly in and out.

"Freak," I muttered, and she punched me in the arm, keeping her eyes closed. "Anyway, I vote for you Rose. Because of your serious lack of respect for authority figures. I give you 2 days, tops."

The elevator doors opened and we stepped out into our hall. "No way," Rosalie said shaking her head. "My money's on Alice here. If she makes it past orientation tomorrow I'll be surprised." Alice stuck her tongue out at us as she pulled open the door to our room and flopped onto her bed. "You guys don't need to worry about me. I'll just make up for the fashion crimes _after_ work. I'm betting on Bella. She has no business dressing anybody, not even Goofy. She'll be gone within the first hour." I stood in the middle of the room with my hands on my hips and looked from Rosalie to Alice and back again. You can count me out of this little bet girls. There is no way I'm getting kicked out of _Disney_ school. Nothing is worth my Dad being able to throw a failure here back in my face for the rest of my life, bringing it up at every family Christmas gathering from now until one of us is dead. Nope, I'm here for the duration." I picked up my purse from the bedside table and grabbed my sunglasses. "Now, as the only one here with the sad, Disney-less childhood, I say I get to choose what we do tonight. Let's go see Mickey Mouse.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

EPOV

I had an itch, and it was a good one. It had taken up residence just under my left eye, above my cheekbone. This always happened. Just when I had almost finished up with hair and makeup, and was about to leave the swivel chair of torture, it would begin. Innocuous at first. Just a little tickle, as if my cheek had been brushed by one of those tiny particles that you can only see in a beam of sunlight. Then it would intensify, and I would contort my face and wrinkle my nose in some futile attempt at relief. It would fester and snowball until nothing, save for quadriplegia, could prevent me from scratching off half of my face to relieve it. Still, I had no desire to sit through thirty minutes of touch ups, so I tried to blow a stream of air up towards my left eye, to no avail. I had an itch, and it needed to be scratched, period. I let out a tortured sigh and looked pleadingly at Jane, who was standing in front of me, poised to apply a final coating of translucent powder to my face, effectively sealing in her last two hours of work. She glared at me, and I swear the daggers coming from her eyes wouldn't have just killed, they would have maimed and tortured first.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, flashing her the Lassie eyes.

I raised the index finger of my left hand and Jane sucked in a breath, and then seemed to stop breathing all together. I paused, my finger suspended one centimeter from my heavily made up face, and wondered how long I could make Jane deny herself oxygen. I chuckled a little and the movement of my facial muscles brought some relief, a few seconds passed, and the itch was gone. I looked at Jane and noticed that she was staring at me intently, as if someone had just told her she would die if she couldn't count all the pores on my face. I knew that this meant she had somewhere to be, and so I decided to draw the moment out, just a little bit longer. I allowed my finger to move ever so slightly forward, until it was just grazing my cheek. Her eyes widened. Then I abruptly dropped my finger and smiled at her crookedly.

"Humph," I shrugged. "False alarm I guess." I waved my hands at her, indicating for her to continue. "Carry on."

Jane regarded me coolly as the color returned to her cheeks. She began to apply the powder rather roughly, sighing and muttering something about maturity levels.

My eyes were closed, and I heard the lumbering footsteps of one of my best friends coming up from behind me. I braced myself as a massive body slammed into my side. Jane cursed under her breath at the interruption caused by the physical jarring of her human canvas.

"'Sup Jane," Emmett said, nodding in Jane's direction.

Jane ignored the greeting and began to remove the clips from my wig. She stepped back and made a final inspection of her handiwork. She nodded her approval, and glanced at her watch.

"Dude," Emmett began incredulously. "I think you actually wear more makeup than all three of my sisters combined." With that said, Emmett raised his arm and ran his index finger roughly down my cheek, removing a perfect line of Jane's hard work. He glanced at his finger, and casually regarded Jane, who was glaring her death daggers in his direction.

"Emmett, run," I whispered, as a fuming Jane grabbed her freshly sharpened liner pencils and lunged forward with honest to God intent to do bodily harm in her eyes. Emmett's laughter echoed through the room, and he held his hands out in front of himself to deflect her blows. Just then, two slender arms grabbed Jane from behind, holding her back by her shoulders.

"Now darlin'," her captor cooed. "Let's not do anything you're going to regret in the morning." Jasper's voice was a slow melodic southern drawl that brought most girls to their knees, and he had directed his words mere inches from Jane's ear. She shook her head wildly and twisted and turned in an attempt to free herself.

"Damn you Jasper," she spat. "He did that on purpose." She nodded her head in Emmett's direction. Emmett flashed his irresistible dimpled grin, and gave her a wink. Jane struggled harder against Jasper's capable hold, and we all looked at Emmett, whose face had taken on a thoughtful expression. You could practically see the light bulb moment. He again eyed his index finger, and stepped forward towards Jane. Then, he unceremoniously wiped his finger on the sleeve of Jane's white shirt. Her eyes blackened with fury as she struggled even harder against Jasper. Emmett smiled at her devilishly.

Jasper began shaking his head, and laughed quietly under his breath. He bent and whispered something into Jane's ear. Whatever it was made the evil smile return to her face, and when Jasper released his hold on her, she bolted towards Emmett, who shrieked like a girl and stumbled over my swivel chair.

"What the fuck, Jasper," Emmett yelled, as he regained his footing and turned to make his escape. Jane was tangled in various cords, and she cursed under her breath as she tried to get free.

"Sorry, man," Jasper shrugged. "You always take it just one step too far."

Jane had freed herself, and was resuming her attack on Emmett, as he turned and ran, shouting at Jasper over his shoulder.

"Traitor!" he yelled, as the two of them disappeared into the labyrinth of tunnels hidden beneath the Magic Kingdom.

Jasper and I were doubled over in laughter as we heard Emmett's pleas echoed back to us from down the hall.

"Think she'll put an eye out this time?" Jasper asked, flopping across one of the other swivel chairs.

I shook my head, trying to regain my ability to speak. "I doubt it," I choked out. "Remember when they slept together? He survived that debacle, I'm sure he'll manage to get out of this one relatively unscathed." Jasper nodded his head, and I turned mine, surveying the damage, and then glanced at my watch. It wasn't too bad, nothing I couldn't fix myself, if I could do it quickly. I picked up a makeup sponge off of the counter and began blending. If I didn't hurry, another make up artist would come in and utter something truly horrifying like, "Wash his face and start again." There was no way my understudy was going to take over the 4-7pm time slot. I hadn't been out all week, and Jasper and Emmett were both off tonight as well. Jasper cleared his throat. I turned my head to look at him, mid-blend.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to watching you do that, man," Jasper laughed, shaking his head. I dropped my arm and looked down at the makeup sponge in my hand. I felt myself redden slightly, but I managed to laugh it off, and continued blending. I had done a pretty good job. You almost couldn't tell I'd been attacked by a 24 year old ex-linebacker who couldn't see past his own amusement. I inspected my work in the mirror and nodded once. I threw the sponge away, and turned to face Jasper. My friend was right, applying makeup, let along wearing it myself, was not something I ever imagined myself doing. I didn't even get into theater until my senior year at the University of North Carolina, and only then because some chick I was dating was a drama major. What I had subsequently discovered about myself, however, had been life-changing.

I had discovered that I loved to act. For me, it was like having permission to live in a land of make believe, and I had thrown myself into my new found passion with everything I possessed. One year later I had performed in five different onstage productions ranging from _Romeo and Juliet_ to _Evita_ to _The Real Inspector Hound_. Emmett and Jasper had been amazingly supportive, only jokingly questioning my sexual orientation for the first few months. They cheered wildly during curtain calls, volunteered to build scenery, and flirted with all the leading ladies. They attended cast parties, and marveled at drag queens who could perform standing back flips in 6 inch stiletto heals. The three of us were in the business management school, because that's what good southern boys majored in. We dreamed of one day owning a business together, and that dream was the only thing that sustained us through the boring lectures, networking luncheons, and bank president guest speakers, that made up the bulk of our college experience. I think we all enjoyed the excitement that the drama department brought to our lives. As graduation approached, and the pressure to find real jobs reared its head, I discovered employment opportunities for amateur stage actors at Walt Disney World. I applied, and three auditions, and two interviews later, I was offered a dream role, and I jumped at the chance. My father was more than a little mortified by my career choice, and I'm pretty sure he now avoids all inquiries as to my current whereabouts. Jasper and Emmett followed me to Florida a few months later, desperate to hold on to their youthful enthusiasm, and to put off the 9 to 5 world just a little longer. Two and a half years later, we were all still here. I don't think any of us ever regretted our decision to leave the real world behind.

Emmett was hired as a ride attendant, which was perfect for his larger than life personality. Everyone who passed through his line was treated to a hearty helping of wit and good 'ol southern boy charm. He was a shameless flirt, and he seemed to be making an honest attempt to sleep with every available female employee in the park under the age of 60. Jane had been one of last month's conquests, and my stints in her makeup chair had become increasingly uncomfortable ever since. He was a loyal friend, and the best big brother that his 3 little sisters could ever have asked for. I was lucky to call him a friend, and I knew he'd always have my back.

Jasper was the only son of a prominent politician from Charleston, South Carolina. Having been born and raised among the southern gentility, Jasper had acquired all of the charms befitting a southern gentleman. From his impeccable manners to his Gone with the Wind accent, Jasper was the unequivocal ladies man of our little outfit. We often placed bets on how fast he could convince a sober woman to go home with him. His record was just under 4 minutes. Jasper was a trust fund kid, who worked just to have something to do. Disney World proved to be just the ticket for his chosen lifestyle, and he kept us all in liquor and good food, and totally pimped out our shared 3 bedroom apartment. Jasper's dream was to compose scores for Disney movies, and his inspiration was John Lassiter, the CEO of Pixar who, legend has it, got his start as a Jungle Cruise operator at Disney Land in California. Jasper was hired as a greeter because of his good manners and charming personality, but he eventually became the Disney World "go to" man for celebrity tours. He had met many celebrities during his time here, but the one featured most prominently in his bar room anecdotes was Tom Cruise.

"You can't go wrong with Mr. Cruise. He's almost timeless. Once a girl knows you've conversed with that man, it's on. It's never failed me."

This was usually mine and Emmett's cue to roll our eyes and call bull shit, but Jasper continued to insist on the validity of his method. Emmett tried this out once, but failed miserably when he told the girl that he and Tom were actually related, but then failed to remember the names of his wife and child. Anyway, it seemed like Jasper was given more than his fair share of panty peeling abilities when God was handing out talents. His accent, his looks, and his musical aptitude all combined to make him an almost unstoppable force of nature with members of the opposite sex.

So, Emmett had his humor and happy-go-lucky personality, Jasper had his looks and his music, and _I _had my job. When I was offered a position portraying a character at Disney World I hadn't known what I was getting myself into. My character was so popular, I wasn't even allowed to do meet and greet sessions like Mickey and Winnie the Pooh. The few times it had been attempted, things had erupted into chaos. So instead, my character performed several shows a day, geared towards small children, but often attracting large crowds of eager women, and appeared in all of the daily parades. I loved my job, and not just because it helped me out with the ladies. It was so fun to perform everyday and get paid for it. I did enjoy the attention however, and I was determined to ride it out for at least one more year. That meant, simply put, that I was NOT a relationship man. I was having too much fun, and I figured I had the rest of my life to commit to one woman. I was the only one of our group who had an official dating rule, or rather, a rule against going out on multiple dates with the same woman, but we were all enjoying the lifestyle that we were lucky enough to be leading. Nothing seemed to be missing. We were living the good life.

I was pulled out of my reverie by Jasper's impatient sigh.

"Where the hell is Emmett?" he asked, checking his phone, stuffing his hands in his back pockets, and then pulling them out again. He stopped moving and turned to look in my direction. "Hey, don't you have a show in like.....," he checked his watch, "five minutes." He held his arm out to me. It was 3:50, and I was due at my entrance at 3:55.

"Shit, I'm ought of here man, I'll see you guys tonight at the club okay?" Jasper was dialing Emmett's cell phone and nodded in my direction as I bolted down the tunnel towards Adventureland.

BPOV

The castle. I couldn't believe I was actually seeing the castle. In person. Alice, Rosalie and I were standing on the ferry gliding slowly towards Cinderella's castle, and it was even more beautiful than all of my childhood dreams combined. I was grinning from ear to ear, and Alice was jumping up and down, watching my reaction to my first view of the Magic Kingdom.

"Stop watching me Alice," I sighed, "It's creepy. Watch Rose, it's her first time here too you know." Alice stopped bouncing and linked arms with Rosalie and I.

"This is it girls. This is where we get to spend our entire summer. I would just like to take this opportunity to point out who is responsible for that fact. Me." She smiled broadly and took a dramatic bow. Rose and I wrapped our arms around her in a group hug that she most definitely deserved.

"Thank you Alice!" we sang, at the top of our lungs, as the ferry began to dock, and I was mere feet from the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. The thrill of the moment overtook me, and as soon as we were properly docked, and the chain was dropped, I raced towards the entrance at breakneck speed. I felt like a kid again as my Chuck Taylors slapped the concrete, and the hot, sticky southern air blew my hair back from my face. I could hear Alice and Rosalie just steps behind me, and we all came to a stop at the security tables to have our bags checked.

"Who the hell would bomb the happiest place on earth?" Alice muttered as she surrendered her bag to the uniformed man standing in front of her. He smiled and handed her bag back after checking for contraband.

"Sorry, ma'am, just trying to keep you safe," he quipped.

"Oh, just ignore her officer," Rosalie smiled, "we do."

Alice punched her in the arm, and the three of us emerged from security and proceeded to the admission turnstiles. We produced our ID badges and were promptly ushered through the gates and into the land of princesses, fanny packs, and the almighty dollar. Alice became all business again, grabbing a map at the information desk and assembling the three of us for a huddle right next to the statue of Walt Disney.

"Now girls, we all know that the first order of business is to get Miss. Bella Swan to her favorite pirate captain. So it's off to ride Pirates of the Caribbean!" She raised her fist in the air triumphantly, and stuffed the map into her bag. "Let's go, let's go," she shouted, grabbing Rose and I by the hand and dragging us down Main Street. I tried to take in the scenery as we raced past a horse and buggy and Piglet signing autographs in front of the castle. I gazed at the Castle, towering above me, but was quickly pulled to the left. I looked over my shoulder and promised to return to this lovely spot sometime soon. Assuming I didn't spend the rest of my summer in traction from Alice's manhandling.

"Okay Alice, I can walk, just let go of me." I extricated myself from my overly enthusiastic, sprightly tour guide, and stopped to snap a picture of her annoyed expression. I turned the camera around to show her the picture. "Where's the magic Alice?" I asked, eyeing her disapprovingly.

"Where's the fire?" Rosalie sighed, as she stopped to take a sip of her water. She wiped her forehead, and surveyed our surroundings. "I don't think the ride is going anywhere."

Alice began to pace around, watching us with a disgruntled expression.

"Bella, you practically knocked elderly people out of your way running in here, and now you're stopping, less than half a mile from a ride featuring your fictional pirate lover?"

"I'm stopping to take in the sights, Alice. You just completely bypassed the castle, and I haven't even seen Mickey yet," I poked my bottom lip out at her. "Rose," I whined, "Alice won't let me see Mickey Mouse."

"Trust me Bella, you're gonna want to see this." Alice held her hand out and I took it, eyeing her warily. We walked to rest of the way hand in hand as Alice pointed out interesting details along the way. She and Rose began lamenting the rule against dating cast members as they checked out the guys working the food stands and gift shops we passed.

"I don't know how I can possibly be expected to go twelve weeks without sex," Rosalie sighed. "I mean, we're all adults here. What difference does it make to Greg who I choose to sleep with?"

"I for one am grateful for the arrangement," I started. "It's nice to think about taking a break from guys for awhile," I nodded my head resolutely, and Alice winked at me and smacked my butt. I giggled and winked back. "In all seriousness, I think a little break is just what we all need. A chance to enjoy just having fun without the pressure to impress guys." Alice and Rosalie were clearly not convinced, but I, for one, was happy to have a twelve month hiatus from romance. It seemed like so much energy was wasted trying to look good for guys, find a good guy, and keep a good guy. I was exhausted just thinking about it.

"We're here, we're here," Alice squealed behind me, but I was looking ahead of me where a large crowd had gathered. From my current position I could look down on the action inside the circle of spectators, and what I saw made my heart race, and my hands sweat. I stared, open mouthed ahead of me, unable to make sense of the scene before me.

"Bella, what are you doing? The ride is back here," Alice grabbed my arm, but stopped to see what I was staring at. "Ohhhh...," I heard her say, and then Rosalie was beside me, also staring straight ahead.

"Well, well, well," she whispered, "what have we here."

Standing before us, surrounded by spectators, was a very convincing Captain Jack Sparrow putting on a sort of street show. I tried to remember to breath, as my heart continued it's assault on my chest. It was him. The hair. The eyes. That voice. I was starting to get dizzy. I sank into a nearby bench, and tried to slow my breathing.

"Alice, you didn't say a thing about a Captain Jack," I muttered distractedly.

Alice began rifling through her guidebook, a frazzled expression on her face. "I didn't know Bella. This book tells you the best bathrooms to use, but it doesn't bother to tell you that Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the characters represented?"

The three of us continued to stare toward the crowd. "Wow," we all muttered simultaneously. Just then I remembered the rules and my quest to swear off boys for the summer.

"Alice?" I muttered. "What land are we in?"

She didn't hesitate giving her answer. "Adventureland," she answered distractedly.

"Oh shit."


End file.
